THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 59 



THE CORN SPHENOPHORUS— ^toop/ion/s zeds, Walsh. 



In the last number of the Practical Entomologist, Mr. Walsh gave 

 the first account of a weevil which in certain years does great damage 

 [Fig. 22.] to the corn crop by puncturing the young plant 



near the ground, and riddling it with holes of 

 about the size that an ordinary pin would make. 

 They may even be found under ground attached 

 firmly to the stalk, and when numerous enough 

 the plant always dies. 



The color of the beetle is brown-black or 

 black, often obscured by yellowish or grayish matter adhering to, and 

 filling up the hollow punctures. Figure 22 gives a good illustration 

 of it, a showing a shaded back view, h an outline side view, and c 

 showing the manner in which the wing-covers are punctured. The 

 original description as given by Mr. Walsh will be found below. 



In the spring of 1S68, Mr. L. V.Smith, of Geneva, Ontario county, 

 N. Y., sent me numerous specimens; and I have often found it in 

 great numbers on the lake-beach at Chicago, though it does not seem 

 to be common in our own State. But it is well that corn-growers be 

 made familiar with its appearance. 



The larval history of this weevil is unknown, but there seems 

 good reason + o believe that it breeds in rotting and moist wood, 

 situated in places where it is constantly washed by the water; for the 

 beetles, with others belonging to the same genus are found in such 

 situations and in decayed logs floating in swamps. If this supposi- 

 tion be the correct one — and the fact that it has been injurious only 

 in the immediate neighborhood of rivers and lakes adds great weight 

 to such a supposition — then this weevil will not be likely to multiply 

 unduly where there are not large bodies of water. 



" Spenopiiorus ze^e, new species? Color black, often obscured by yellowish matter adhering 

 to the hollow places, which, however, can be partially washed off. Head finely punctured towards 

 the base, with a large dilated puncture between the eyes above. Snout one-third as long as the 

 body, of uniform diameter, as fine as a stout horse-hair, and curved downwards. Before the 

 middle of the thorax a polished diamond-shaped space, prolonged in a short, line in front and in a 

 long line behind ; and on each side of this an irregularly defined polished space, somewhat in the 

 form of an inverted Y ; the rest of thorax occupied by very large punctures, which fade into finer 

 and sparser ones on the polished spaces. Wing-cases with rows of still larger punctures, placed 

 very wide apart in the usual grooves or striae ; the sutural interstice, that between the 2nd and 3rd 

 striae, and that between the 4th and 5th stria) wider than the rest, elevated, and occupied by very 

 fine punctures ; a small elongate-oval polished spot on the shoulder and another near the tip of the 

 wing-case. Beneath, polished, and with punctures as large as those of the thorax. — Length 

 about three-tenths of an inch, exclusive of the snout. Comes very near Sphenophorus truncatus 

 Say, but the snout is not "attenuated at tip" and has no "elongated groove at base above ;" and 

 moreover, nothing is said in the description of that species of the very large and conspicuous punc- 

 tures, found in the elytral striae of our species." 



